Clutch.



J. R. PLANK.

CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED APE.14, 1913.

Patented May 12, 1914.

WI/I/ Wm B (Q n 1 V M m M, um m w'n nossss WWW COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.,WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron J'. RAYMOND PLAN'K, 0F GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CLUTCH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. RAYMOND PLANK, citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clutches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apper- 1 tains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in clutches, and its object is to provide a device which will be simple in construction, effective of operation and which may be easily and quickly disassembled; and to provide the device with various new and useful features as hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

This device is particularly adapted for use on flexible shafting as illustrated in the accompanying drawing and it is so constructed that the operation of .disengaging the clutch jaws or reengaging them, is accomplished by a simple twist of the hand grip provided for that purpose.

The device consists essentially of a tubular body which is attached to the casing of the flexible shaft and in which a stub shaft carrying a clutch member is journaled. The tool holder carries on its inner end the other clutch member, and is journaled in a bushing which is both rotative and longitudinally slidable in the tubular casing. A pin projects from the periphery of the bushing into a cam slot in the casing and imparts a longitudinal movement to the bushing as the same is rotated; this longitudinal movement of the bushing carries the tool holder and its clutch member with it and either engages or disengages this clutch member with the one on the stub shaft. The outer end of the bushing is provided with a flange which is surrounded by an annular hand grip which is in turn attached to spring actuated plungers which project through the flange on the bushing and are adapted to enter recesses in the end of the casing when the clutch jaws are engaged to retain them in this position. These spring actuated plungers being connected to the hand grip are disengaged from the recesses by movement of the hand grip and the rotative movement of the bushing is also accomplished through the same.

When the clutch members are in disen- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 14, 1913.

Patented May 12, 1914.

Serial No. 760,980.

gaged position the bushing together with the tool holder and its clutch jaw and other parts which are attached thereto, may be entirely removed from the casing by virtue of a longitudinal extension of the cam slot which opens out of the end of the casing, allowing the pin to be entirely removed therefrom. The device is also provided with various other novel features of construction and arrangement which facilitate its construction and operation, as will more fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention with parts broken away to show details of construction; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3 shows one end of the casing with parts broken away and the bushing and tool holder removed therefrom; Fig. 4 shows the bushing and tool holder and parts connected thereto removed from the casing; Fig. 5 is an end view of the device sectioned on the line 5--5 of Fig. 1 and; Fig. 6 is an end view of the bushing and parts connected thereto viewed from the direction of the clutch end.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

1 represents the tubular casing which forms the body of the structure and is provided at one end with an internal thread into which the end of the flexible shaft casing 2 is screwed to attach it to the casing. A second tubular member 3 telescopes within the tubular casing 1, being flush with the outer end thereof, and having its inner end abutting against the end of the shaft casing 2. This tubular member 3 when fastened in place forms a part of the body of the clutch and its inner end is provided with a bushing 4: in which is journaled the stub shaft 5 attached to the end of the flexible shaft 6 and driven thereby. Both the tubular member 3 and the bushing 41: are held in posit-ion by means of a screw 7 which passes through the casing 1 and tubular member 3 and into the bushing 1. The inner end of the stub shaft 5 is provided with a clutch member 8 which rotates within the tubular member. A similar clutch member 9 is adapted to engage the clutch member 8 and is attached to the inner end of the tool holder 10. This tool holder is journaled in a bushing 11 and is provided at its outer end with any appropriate form of chuck or other fastening means by which any rotary tool may be connected thereto.

The bushing 11 in which the tool holder rotates, telescopes within the tubular member 3 of the casing and has both a rotary and a longitudinal movement therein. A pin 12 projects from the periphery of the bushing and extends into a cam slot 13 in the tubular member 3. This cam slot ex tends from the forward end of said member longitudinally thereof for a short distance and then turns abruptly at right angles opening into a pocket shaped recess 13, and thence extends from the opposite side of this recess spirally of the tubular member a short distance and at its innermost extremity has a short portion extending circumferentially of the said member. The pin 12 is in this circumferential portion of the cam slot when the clutch members 8 and 9 are engaged. The forward end of the bushing 11 projects outside of the casing and is provided with a flange ll which overhangs the end of the casing and two spring actuated plungers 14 are mounted in the flange parallel with the axis of the device and are adapted to enter recesses 15 which are in the end of the casing and tubular member. These recesses are located in such a position that when the plungers 14 are within them, the pin 12 will be in the circumferential portion of the cam slot and the clutch jaws 8 and 9 will be in engagement, the object of these plungers being to yieldably retain these parts in this position. The plungers are yieldably held in engagement with the recesses 15 by means of springs 16 which surround their stems and these plunger stems extend through the flange 11 of the bushing and are attached to an annular hand grip 17 which surrounds the bushing, the said hand grip being longitudinally slidable upon the flange of the bushing and held in place by the plunger stems.

The operation of this device is as follows: Assuming that the clutch jaws 8 and 9 are in engagement as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and it is desired to disengage them, the operator pushes outward on the hand grip which removes the plungers 14 from the recesses 15. This releases the bushing leaving it free to be rotated by rotating the hand grip. As the bushing rotates, the pin 12 will traverse the spiral portion of the cam slot 18 which will impart a longitudinal movement to the said bushing, carrying the tool holder and clutch jaw 9, disengaging the jaw 9 from the jaw 8 which has no longitudinal movement in the casing. As the pin 12 enters the pocket 13 in the cam clutch it will naturally strike the upper shoulder thereof and prevent further movement, the clutch jaws having been disengaged by this time. The object of the pocket 13 in the cam slot is to prevent inadvertent additional movement of the bushing and should the device be held vertically with the tool holder projecting upward, the pin would drop into the lower portion of the pocket 13 rather than retraverse the spiral portion of the cam slot, which would allow the clutch jaws to reengage.

If it is desired to entirely remove the bushing together with the tool holder and parts connected thereto, this may be done by further rotation of the bushing, allowing the pin 12 to find its way out of the pocket 13 and into the longitudinal portion of the cam slot where it may be drawn directly out of the end of the casing. Reengaging the clutch jaws is performed by a reverse movement of the bushing and the plungers 14 will automatically spring into place in the recesses 15 after the clutch jaws have been engaged and the pin has reached the circumferential portion at the bottom of the cam slot.

The device may be easily disassembled for purposes of repair and replacement of parts, by simply removing the screw 7, this being the only fastening which holds the body members together. i

It will be seen that this construction is simple in operation. The plungers 14 effectively hold the device in operative position and prevent inadvertent disengagementof the clutch members but at the same time admit of the same being disengaged by a simple, quick movement on the part of the operator, this being extremely desirable where delicate tools are used and it is necessary to stop the rotation of them quickly for any reason.

What I claim is 1. A clutch comprising a body having a driving clutch member journaled therein, a bushing slidable in one end of the body and adapted to be manually rotated, a shaft journaled in the bushing and carrying on its inner end a driven clutch member to en gage or disengage the driving clutch member by longitudinal movement of the shaft, a pin projecting from the periphery of the bushing and a spiral cam groove in the body to receive the pin.

2. A clutch comprising a body having a driving clutch member journaled therein, a bushing slidable in one end of the body and adapted to be manually rotated, a shaft journaled in the bushing, a driven clutch member fixed on the inner end of the shaft to engage or disengage the driving clutch member, a pin projecting from the periphery of the bushing and a cam groove in the body to receive the pin, said cam groove extending from the forward end of the body, longitudinally thereof for a short distance and thence extending spirally of the body.

3. A clutch comprising a body having a driving clutch member journaled therein, a

bushing slidable in one end of the body and adapted to be manually rotated, a shaft j ournaled in the bushing, a driven clutch member fixed on the inner end of the shaft to engage or disengage the driving clutch member, a pin projecting from the periphery of the bushing and a cam slot in the body to receive the pin, said cam slot extending from the forward end of the body longitudinally thereof for a short distance and turning abruptly at right angles opening into the pocket and then extending from the opposite side of said pocket spirally of the tubular member and terminating at its innermost end in a short circumferential portion.

et. A clutch comprising a body having a driving shaft journaled therein, a clutch member fixed to the end of the driving shaft, a bushing slidable in the body and adapted to be manually rotated therein, a driven shaft journaled in the bushing, a clutch member attached to the end of the driven-shaft and adapted when moved longitudinally to engage or disengage the driving clutch member, a pin projecting from the periphery of the bushing, a spiral cam slot in the body to receive the pin, a flange on the outer end of the bushing overlapping the end of the body, spring actuated plungers projecting from the said flange, and recesses in the end of the body to receive the plungers.

A clutch comprising a body having a driving shaft journaled therein, a clutch member attached to the inner end of the said driving shaft, a bushing telescopically located in the forward end of the body and adapted to be manually rotated, a pin projecting from the bushing, a spiral cam slot in the body to receive the said pin, a flange on the outer end of the bushing overlapping the end of the body, an annular hand grip surrounding the said flange and longitudinally slidable thereon, spring actuated plungers extending through the flange and attached to the hand grip, and recesses in the forward end of the body to receive the said plungers substantially as and for the purposes described.

(3. A clutch comprising a tubular casing, a tubular body member fixed in the casing, a bushing located in the inner end of the said tubular body member, said casing, body member and bushing being held in assembled position by a screw inserted therein, a driving clutch member journaled in the said bushing, a driven clutch member journaled in the forward end of the tubular body member and adapted when'moved longitudinally to engage or disengage the driving clutch member and manually operated means for longitudinally adjusting the driven clutch member.

7. A clutch comprising a tubular casing; a tubular member within said casing, a bushing in the inner end of the said tubular member, said casing, member and bushing being held in assembled position by means of a screw inserted therein a driving shaft journaled in the said bushing, a driving clutch member attached to the inner end of the driving shaft, a bushing slidable and rotative in the forward end of the tubular member, a driven shaft journaled in the said bushing, a clutch member attached to the inner end of the driven shaft and adapted when moved longitudinally to en gage or disengage the driving clutch member, a pin projecting from the periphery of the rotative bushing, a cam slot in the tubular member to receive the said pin, said cam slot extending from the end of the said member longitudinally thereof for a short distance, thence turning at right angles and opening into a pocket and then extending from the opposite side of said pocket spirally of the tubular member and terminating at its innermost end in a short circumferential portion, a flange on the outer end of the rotative bushing overlapping the forward ends of the body members, an annular hand grip surrounding the said flange and longitudinally movable therein, a spring actuated plunger passing longitudinally through the lateral flange and attached to the said annular hand grip and recesses in the ends of the body member to receive the said spring actuated plungers.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J. RAYMOND PLANK. \Vitnesses:

HAROLD O. VAN An'rwnnr, MAE RANKIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

